CHAPTER 5
Land Degradation: The Case of Morocco Maria Sarraf and Abdeljaouad Jorio
In Morocco, 93 percent of the land is arid, and 7 percent is subhumid and humid (FAO 2004).1 Soils are fragile because of their organic-matter content of less than 2 percent, even in humid zones (World Bank 2003). These soils suffer from water and wind erosion. Under these conditions, overexploitation and unsustainable management of the already vulnerable soils lead to land degradation. This chapter estimates the costs of annual land degradation in terms of the lost productivity of croplands and rangelands. It is based on an earlier, more extensive study that estimated the overall cost of environmental degradation (COED) in Morocco (World Bank 2003).
Overview of Land Resources Agriculture is a significant sector of Morocco’s economy, contributing 18 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) and employing about 33 percent of the country’s active population. Both croplands and rangelands are important for Moroccan agriculture (photos 5.1 and 5.2). Arable land and permanent crops represent 9.3 million hectares, or 21 percent of the country’s area. Irrigated agriculture covers about 1.4 million hectares and consumes 82 percent of the available water. Although this area is only a small proportion of the total cultivated area (15 percent), it plays 75